Marketing for local businesses no-nonsense advice, personal experiences and lessons learnt

Hope is not a strategy

Just as you were reeling from the blow dealt to your local book shop by the internet, the hammering your grocery shop received when Tesco opened nearby or the kicking your pub was dealt at the hands of the smoking ban, along came the credit crunch.  In case you haven’t noticed, it’s no longer good enough just to open the doors and wait for customers to hand over their cash.  There is just too much competition and not enough custom to go around.

It’s clear that you need to find new customers and it’s tempting to start placing ads in your local newspaper or paying for prominence in a directory such as Yell.  The problem with doing those things is that you are taking the easy option.  You are giving your money to the local paper and saying “here’s some cash, now go find me some customers”.  Then you are sitting back and hoping. 

There is nothing wrong with paying these companies to look for new customers amongst their audience, so long as you are convinced that the money is well spent.  The question is, do you want to rely on them to make you a success?

The alternative is to realise that you can make yourself a success.  Look around you. Do you have a shop?  Do you have footfall? Do you have a van? Do you have a list of customers that have bought from you in the past?  Then, you have your own audience.  If you have not already collected their personal details, now is the time to start. 

Why should they give you their details or tell you their preferences?  How can you entice them in to your business, again and again?  These are questions that you will need to answer.  Once you have answered them well, you will not need to hope for success.